Lessons from Dharavi

"The relevant question to ask about any social situation -- including that of the slum dwellers in Dharavi -- is 'compared to what?' By the standards that even the poorest of us in the 21st-century west are accustomed to, living and working conditions in Dharavi are worse than appalling; by the standards of the people living and working in Dharavi, their living and working conditions are better than their alternatives." (12/29/11)